In the United States, people get very little news about Africa, and what news they do get is about war or famine, with little historical information or context. In this article, the authors describe how they developed and implemented a Pan-African Summit simulation project in order to give their approximately 100, 9th-grade students (in five World…

Topics on the subject of continental drift are discussed for teacher use in promoting student interest in coastlines, mountain ranges, and landscapes in general. (Author/KM)

A SEVENTH-GRADE WORLD GEOGRAPHY COURSE FOR MIDDLE TRACK STUDENTS IS PRESENTED. GENERALIZATIONS FOR EACH UNIT, ALONG WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LISTS OF AUDIOVISUAL AIDS, ARE INCLUDED. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DERIVE GENERAL GEOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES FROM THEIR STUDY OF THE SPECIFIC. TEN UNITS FOR STUDY ENCOMPASS THE CONTINENTS.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 11, 12, and 13. SUBJECT MATTER: Geography. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into three sections, one for each grade. World geography is presented in two parts--grades 11 and 12--and Canadian geography is studied in grade 13. Each section is divided into several units. The guide is offset printed and…

Teaching about Turkey is currently a priority in world and global history courses. There has been a re-examination of this region, a re-emphasis on the contribution of the peoples of the area to history, and a re-evaluation of the role of the Turks not only in Turkish history but also in Central Asia, Western China, Eastern Europe, and Russia. The…

In 2002, the geographic knowledge of college-age students in the North was highlighted in a survey sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Students in the U.S. ranked second to last among those surveyed on questions assessing basic knowledge of world geography. That many young adults got "the facts" wrong about particular places…

Every map depicts both objective realities and subjective elements and is a rich resource for studying the geographic knowledge and values of mapmakers and their societies. This paper considers cognitive mapping research and describes how world maps reflect world images. Cognitive mapping is defined as a process that allows people to acquire,…

This article describes the development process and products of a two-year project designed to improve basic skills instruction in existing secondary social studies courses. Includes a sample lesson plan and student handouts. (JDH)

Explains a large basic course on world regional geography. Introduces students to 10 maxims about the many factors that help define a place's character. Student reactions to the maxims were found to be largely positive. (Author/SOE)

Six geography lessons which teach a global perspective to fifth graders are discussed. The lessons include examining maps made in countries other than the United States, brainstorming about another culture, taking an imaginary trip over a region just studied, participating in a simulation, and researching the making of a pencil. (RM)

One of the demands imposed on geography instruction is to inform about the world, but there is some disagreement on how this is to be achieved. Criticism is most frequently directed at the regional geography approach of subdividing the world into culture regions. This paper addresses the question of whether global subdivision by culture regions…

In global history courses and in western civilization courses Europe might be better treated as a subcontinent or, better yet, as a coastal, peninsular, or even insular phenomenon. This would be more consistent with both its geography and its history. H. J. Mackinder argued that until the 15th century Europe was powerfully shaped by repeated waves…

Presents a critical examination of six high school geography textbooks to see how they varied in their treatment of world politics, and comments on the degree of nationalistic bias in each one. Suggestions for teachers are included to help them deal with political concepts and bias in textbooks. (Author/AM)

Provides information on computer software using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and visualization technologies and Visual Earth, a series of integrated classroom solutions for a variety of science topics. Describes some uses of GIS and Visual Earth in science classrooms. (ASK)